Refugee Heirlooms

The Byzantine & Christian Museum has a very important collection of over 200 works, known as “Refugee Heirlooms”. These were brought to Greece after the Asia Minor Disaster (1922) and the compulsory Exchange of Populations between Greece and Turkey, which was imposed by the Treaty of Lausanne (1923). The transfer of Heirlooms, according to the article 8 of part IV of the treaty, took places in stages. Hundreds of containers of ecclesiastical objects (vestments, vessels, manuscripts, books) from churches of the Greek Communities of Asia Minor and Eastern Thrace reached Greece, where they ended up in the churches of the refugee communities and in Athenian Museums: Benaki Museum, Museum of Folk Art, Byzantine & Christian Museum.

View of the permanent exhibition; on display refugee Heirlooms.

1930. View of the permanent exhibition; on display refugee Heirlooms.

View of the permanent exhibition; on display refugee Heirlooms.

Among the Refugee Heirlooms, do some stand out?

Most of the pieces are valuable for their age, or their artistic value, and all for their historical meaning: They are the products of the Hellenic Civilization that flourished in the other shore of the Aegean Sea.

Icon revetment (ΒΧΜ 2188). A sample of metalwork from a local workshop of Pontos, is the 18th c. icon revetment with scenes from the life and the martyrdom of Saint Demetrios. The inscriptions in karamanli writing indicate that the revetment is probably coming from the communities of the metalworkers of Pontos. BXM2188

Icon revetment (ΒΧΜ 2188). A sample of metalwork from a local workshop of Pontos, is the 18th c. icon revetment with scenes from the life and the martyrdom of Saint Demetrios. The inscriptions in karamanli writing indicate that the revetment is probably coming from the communities of the metalworkers of Pontos. BXM2188